video fucked

[Master of Reality]

i just got a new computer(just the box with some stuff in it.) not a new monitor.
Its got an onboard video, sound, and ethernet card. Kudzu picked up on the ethernet, new USB ports, sound (maybe), but not the new onboard video. When it logs into linux and tries to start the graphical login, the screen just keeps blnking. How should i go about fixing and gettting into the command line to fix it?
-------
YAY! i got me a faster comp.!
its a:
MSI SiS board
128MB SDRAM
64 MB onboard video
3d surround sound card onboard
onboard 10/100 ethernet card
no new HD or monitor.
ts only gonna cost me $300

[voidmain]

Well you didn't say what OS you installed on it. I'll assume you put RedHat 7.2 on it like your other machine. This usually means your system has started up in runlevel 5 (Graphical Login) and your Xwindows is not configured properly.  X dies, then tries to restart, then dies etc.. When this has happened to me in the new RedHat 7.2 it has detected that X could not start and backed itself out into runlevel 3 so I could fix it. If you are running a different distro or an older RedHat it may just continue to be stuck in this loop.  

To fix it, boot up your Linux in single user mode (type "linux single" at the LILO prompt). Once in with a root shell edit the /etc/inittab file and change the initdefault from 5 to 3. Save and exit, then reboot. This should bring you up to a normal non-graphical login prompt. Fix your /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 with Xconfigurator. Make sure X works by starting it with "startx". Once you have it working you can change the "initdefault" back to 5 in the /etc/inittab file.

If you determine that onboard video chipset is some off brand and will not work with Linux then you may have to disable it and install a supported card.

[voidmain]

Uhhhh, I don't think so.

[Master of Reality]

ya, red hat 7.2 backed off and went to the command line, i ran x configurator. My onboard video card is not listed there. However, there is the older version of my onboard video card, which makes me think that the manufacturers website might have the linux drivers for the new card.

[Master of Reality]

i need to get the drivers for the SiS 650 chipset.

[Master of Reality]

hurra..... well i almost found the driver for it, but the link didnt work for some reason.

[voidmain]

I've got a cheap desktop system that I bought a couple of years ago from Microshack for $325. Is a 475Mhz AMD K6-2, 64MB, 4GB drive, on board sound and video (SiS 620).  If I remember right RedHat had no trouble with this chipset but yours is newer so.. I could post my XF86Config-4 if you think it would help.  I must say that I am not happy with the video speed with that shared video memory. Although it does work a regular video card such as a Geforce would blow away the onboard stuff that uses the shared system memory.

I just checked the RedHat compatibility list and the 650 is not listed, however I found this link:

http://www.linuxtested.com/results/asus_p4abt2101.html

that states the onboard 650 does work on the ASUS main board and at the bottom of the link they list a link to the driver that should make it work...

And a side note, the link at the bottom of that page is incorrect. It *should* be:

ftp://ftp.asus.com.tw/pub/ASUS/beta/mb/driver/Sis650_rh72.zip

If that doesn't get you going, check out this link:

http://www.webit.at/~twinny/linuxsis630.shtml

This looks *very* good!

[ April 21, 2002: Message edited by: VoidMain ]

[Master of Reality]

i found it at webit.at
yesterday i tried a link to webit.com/tw/sis630
but i guess it was an outdated link or something, because it didnt work.

[Master of Reality]

this file that i download from there is named sisdriver.2436625(not the actual numbers shown) i have no clue what to do with this file (or what the file is), and it doesnt explain what to do with it. Got any ideas?

the other file (sis650_rh72.zip) is sis650.o what am i supposed to with that file?

[ April 22, 2002: Message edited by: Master of Reality ]

[ April 22, 2002: Message edited by: Master of Reality ]

[voidmain]

My guess is that you would stick it in the /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers directory.

[Master of Reality]

after i put the file in there, where do i change in XF86Config (or in the setup program)the chipset??

[voidmain]

Well, I'm hoping that if you run Xconfigurator after installing that driver that it will detect your card, but I don't know for sure if it *should*.  Might want to do a "man Xconfigurator" for some other options as well.

I would suggest making a backup copy of the existing "sis_drv.o". Then copy your "Sis_drv.o" to "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/sis_drv.o" (note that the driver is all lower case) and make it executable "chmod +x /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/sis_drv.o".  

Also you might want to make a backup copy of "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/Cards" and then edit it and add an entry under all of the SiS cards with your own entry. A copy of the "SiS 630" section might be a good candidate. Then just change the 630 to 650 and the SiS630 to SiS650.  Then you should be able to do an "Xconfigurator --listcards" and see the SiS 650 listed.  Without having a card I can't test it to see if it will work.

[ April 22, 2002: Message edited by: VoidMain ]

[Master of Reality]

quote:Originally posted by VoidMain:
Well, I'm hoping that if you run Xconfigurator after installing that driver that it will detect your card, but I don't know for sure if it *should*.  Might want to do a "man Xconfigurator" for some other options as well. Like what does "Xconfigurator --listcards" tell you after putting that driver in there?

Xconfigurator doesnt check for new cards (or hardware), does it? Doesnt kudzu do that detecting stuff?

I did Xconfigurator --kickstart (because its supposed to auto detect the card that way) and it said that the server didnt exist.

My chipset is not there when i did Xconfigurator --listcards

There is a place in the XF86Config-4 file for modules to be loaded, would i tell it to load the driver there?

[ April 22, 2002: Message edited by: Master of Reality ]

[voidmain]

Sorry, reread my previous post. I modified it while you were replying to it. I think my last suggestion will get you going.. I am fairly certain that kudzu will have nothing to do with this X driver or modify the "Cards" file.

[ April 22, 2002: Message edited by: VoidMain ]

[Master of Reality]

nvm... i got it to work, thanks

[ April 22, 2002: Message edited by: Master of Reality ]